Peter's Lily (Sequel to Pan's Tiger)

Chapter 3: Pan's Deals

Hey,
Thanks for reading. Sorry for the wait.
Please vote and comment.
Enjoy,
Annabelle_the_reader
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Where is Oliver?' I spat through clenched teeth. I stepped in closer to Pan, watching him with as much vigour and hatred as I could muster. Peter Pan just looked amused at this, that it took me weeks to figure it out that he was still tragically in Neverland, despite his promises and deals.

'Come on now, Tiger, it's all part of the game.' He chuckled.

Everything that was happening had sickened me. Part of me had still hoped that Pan didn't know where Oliver was, that Pan had let him escape and he had returned on his own accord and was hiding. Frankly, I was disappointed with him.

It was a betrayal, that Pan had done this to me. It turned out that my curiosity did not outweigh my courage after all. Sometimes love means not being able to bear seeing the one you love the way they are, when they're not what you hoped for.

'I don't like games.' I seethed angrily.

'Sure you do, everyone loves games.' Pan smirked in reply.

'When will you ever grow up? You can be so immature.' I groaned.

'Growing up is overrated.' He scoffed. 'Besides, a longing for maturity kind of reminds me of that time when we grew up, it was boring and we had so many responsibilities: children, bills, jobs, money, rent, food. We are free here, free to do whatever we want, whenever we want.'

'How can we be free when you must kill a boy to do so, when I must stand here and ask you where you keep your prisoners? Just tell me where he is.' I sighed eventually, exasperatedly running a hand through my thick hair.

'I could...' He murmured, encircling me. '...but that would ruin the game.' He smirked and suddenly he disappeared, leaving me alone and frustrated. 'And what a shame that would be,' he called back behind him.

'I'm not stupid, Pan.' I snapped, offended by what he was saying. 'You don't imprison people for a reason, you'd kill them or rip out their shadows. I don't want to play a game. I want you to tell me the truth, otherwise this game your playing with Henry's parents will gain another opponent. There is something you're not telling me-' I stepped closer towards Peter Pan, who didn't look even remotely frightened or bewildered and I glared at him in bitter hatred. '-and either you tell me right now, or I'll find out by myself and then you will pay for what you have done.'

'And if I tell you, what do I get in return?' He asked me spitefully, looking down at me underneath his eyelashes and smirking to himself.

'I'll make you a deal, Pan.' I shrugged, smirking in achievement as his eyes grew wide, excitement evident on his brow as he considered this. His love for deals was well known among the Lost Boys, myself and everyone else in Neverland (including the fairies and mermaids) that this was definitely true by the size of the smile now plastered on his lips.

'I'm listening,' He prompted, trying to keep his curiosity and excitement at bay.

'If you tell me where Oliver is, I'll stay in Neverland. I won't try to escape and I won't leave. I'll... help you.' I winced at the final part. The words tasted painful, but I couldn't just stand there and wait for something to happen to Oliver in Pan's most dangerous games.

There was a long pause that followed. My eyes never left his face, but his eyes just stared empty at the ground, trying to work out whether it was worth it or not. I watched as his brain thought this through, his eyes narrowing in confusion, weighing up the validity of each argument. Was showing me Oliver worth my imprisonment in Neverland and my assistance in securing Henry's heart?